


If I Could

by CapsuleCorp



Category: One Piece
Genre: Anal Sex, Casual Sex, Friends With Benefits, Heart Pirates - Freeform, Implied Relationships, M/M, Open Relationships, Oral Sex, Pre-Wano Arc (One Piece)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 08:15:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16091648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapsuleCorp/pseuds/CapsuleCorp
Summary: Feelings are hard, sex is much easier. A private, personal discussion about the ramifications of Sanji's absence leads to no-strings-attached sex for fun. There's not much else to do aboard Law's ship, after all. Takes place shortly after leaving Zou. If you have a problem with open relationships, polyamory, and casual sex, don't read.





	If I Could

It was clear from the moment the four Straw Hats and their compatriots from Wano came aboard the _Polar Tang_ that their journey to the closed-off kingdom was going to be rougher than expected, no matter how excited the Heart Pirates were to show off their proud ship nor how eager the samurai were to be getting home at long last. She was a fine ship, a state-of-the-art submarine with technology that seemed astonishing and magical to everyone except perhaps Franky, but no matter how enthralled he and Usopp were with the tour and the mechanics of diving and so forth, the others noticed the hitch in the plan about as quickly as the captain himself did. Trafalgar Law was under no delusions even before offering his ship as transportation, he knew full well that the tight quarters of the sub would become even more cramped and frustrating with seven additional people, several of whom were already on his last nerve and likely to be the first ones punted out the nearest hatch if they complained. Both Robin and Zoro caught on within hours, before the _Polar Tang_ had even made its first dive. They didn’t know exactly how long it would take to get to Wano, or whether they could even approach it and make landfall or if they would have to wait for the _Thousand Sunny_ to rendezvous with them offshore. If the days stretched into weeks, as it had while the Barto Club pursued the slow-moving Zou, the novelty would wear off quickly, moreso for those who already didn’t like being crammed into crowded cabins with lots of energetic people around. Indeed, it took less than a day for Zoro to be completely over all of it – the common crew quarters, the constant calls for Raizou to perform ninja tricks in the mess hall, and the unnatural sensation of something akin to claustrophobia while traveling underwater. Franky’s Shark Submerge was a far tighter space than the _Polar Tang_ , in that regard, but the larger ship magnified the eerie feeling in the back of Zoro’s mind. He wasn’t sure he liked submarines at all. But right now, they had no choice.

Life aboard a submarine was nothing at all like life on the _Sunny_. No matter how welcoming and enthusiastic the Heart Pirates crew were, it didn’t make their shared quarters any more comfortable, and trying to find bunks for that many extra people was impossible. The ship had a few spare hammocks for emergencies but little room in which to tie them up and not have people sleeping practically on top of one another. The narrow corridors of metal felt so alien compared to the wide cabins and open-air stairwells of wood, and not even the great main deck could compare to a grass-covered one. There weren’t many interesting places to wander or explore, particularly during those times when they had to dive in order to traverse rough sea currents or evade Marine surveillance; Law gave a stern directive that his medical room was entirely off-limits, and only Franky and Usopp were excited to see any other parts of the ship like the engine room or the bridge where navigation and control lay. On their own ship, Zoro and Robin would be on deck or above it when the noise got to be too much or they simply wanted some air, but while the submarine was underwater, there was no such place for either of them. There wasn’t even a nice little crow’s nest to duck into while above the surface. Privacy, and for that matter space and time alone, was impossible to be had. There seemed to be only one exception, which Robin noticed first: Law himself was capable of disappearing for hours at a time, he would be there in the galley with the rest of the crew at mealtimes and then vanish immediately after finishing, leaving the rest of them to hang around and make as much of a ruckus as they wanted all day and all night. The gregarious Heart crew had no trouble entertaining and being entertained, so long as it was someone who could match their energy level. Usopp seemed to get on exceptionally well with Shachi and Penguin, and Franky couldn’t get enough of talking about engineering specs and cyborg technology with those who maintained the sub, while the threesome from Wano were perfectly happy wherever they happened to be, even when the ninja wasn’t busy being the center of attention. Conversely, Robin gave a solemn deadpan to anyone who insinuated that she ought to spend time with Ikkaku solely because the two of them happened to be women, but out of all of their guests Zoro proved to be the hardest to please. Just as quickly as he grew disenchanted with the situation, Law caught on and moved to do something about it. On their third day out from Zou, the captain deliberately intercepted the gruff swordsman at an intersection of corridors and gave a toss of his head to suggest he ought to follow. Zoro frowned curiously but did so as Law turned and drifted off down a particular direction. “What’s up?” he wondered.

Law didn’t answer right away, striding on down the metal decking for a ways before casting the slightest look over his shoulder. “I offered Nico-ya the chance to get away from all the idiots by hiding out in my cabin for a while,” he said to explain. “I thought you might appreciate it as well.”

Zoro’s grouchy demeanor melted away in an instant, and he perked up as they walked. “Me? Why…?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Well…no…” Staring at the back of the taller man’s neck, Zoro made a face to himself. “You don’t really have anywhere for people to go on this ship.”

“I know. It’s the nature of a submarine,” Law said casually. He stopped at a door at the end and slid it open, taking a moment to peek inside to make sure Robin was not, at the moment, taking advantage of his hospitality before stepping aside and extending the offer. “The captain’s quarters is one of few private rooms we have. You’re welcome to use it for a while, to get some peace and quiet.”

Intrigued, Zoro stepped up and gave his host a quick nod of gratitude before looking in and beholding, for the first time, the captain’s personal space. Part of him had expected the stoic and antisocial Law to have a sparse and spartan room, likely empty of personal effects with a perfectly-tucked blanket on his bunk, but he was surprised to find it completely the opposite. Most of the small cabin, including the desk along the outer wall and the bunk itself, was covered in scholarly clutter – books, journals, and loose papers of all kinds, in stacks or strewn about from the last time he had gone hunting for a particular piece of information. There was a bookshelf, but half of it held dusty jars of specimens instead. A peculiar collection of papers covered the visible areas of the walls – anatomy diagrams, wanted posters, maps, and hand-drawn notes on everything from fishman skeletal structure to medicinal plants that should not be mistaken for poisonous ones. The floor was mostly clear, and it seemed that Law at least took good care of his clothing, hanging it in the locker or tucking it all away in a trunk, but that meant the stacks of books which overflowed the shelves lived on his bed instead. For a second Zoro genuinely wondered where the guy slept, but then figured he might have moved the books there in order to clear a path along the floor and get them off the desk chair – the blanket was askew, after all, suggesting that it might have actually been used at some point. He hesitated before stepping in, looking to Law for confirmation. “You’re really letting me stay in your room?”

“Not the whole time,” Law corrected with a small frown. “Just for a little while. I’m aware how different our ship is from yours, I just figured you might be interested in some time to yourself.”

Zoro contemplated it and then stepped over the threshold, looking around at all the very doctorly clutter. “You said you offered it to Robin, and now me? How come?”

“The other two don’t seem to need much privacy,” Law said wryly. “Robo-ya probably wouldn’t even fit through the door, but either way…” He shrugged stiffly, looking away. “Nico-ya is too polite to be stuck among the idiots in my crew for very long. If you don’t want it, fine by me. I just thought I’d offer.”

“No, it’s fine,” Zoro assured, taking the swords from his hip and leaning them against the desk, near where Kikoku rested against the wall. “Thanks.”

“Try not to touch anything,” Law warned before turning away and sliding the door closed behind him.

Zoro looked around the room again with a snort. _Try not to touch anything?_ he repeated to himself. _How?_ If he wanted to sit anywhere, he’d have to move the books and papers all over again. He could see how a room like this would appeal to Robin, she probably spent all her quiet time in here reading, but what was he to do? Books didn’t interest him, especially not science and medicine, and the specimen jars on the bookshelf were just creepy. He could nap, at least, and as the thought crossed his mind he realized just how much he really craved a good nap with no interruptions. He hadn’t gotten the chance to find a better napping spot anywhere on the submarine in the last few days, and here it was being offered to him generously, at the hand of the captain himself. He glanced over his shoulder toward the door, wondering, even though Law was long gone and the door was neatly closed to keep out intruders. It might have been his imagination, but after that short stint on Zou, Zoro was starting to feel like he and the former warlord had hit it off, the two of them had similar personalities and took the antics of their respective crews with much the same attitude. It was possible that the reason he was being offered this sanctuary had everything to do with Law seeing him much the same way. He hadn’t expected to find a kindred spirit in the grouchy and secretive captain, but if that was how it was, so be it. Zoro smirked to himself and moved to make a small spot on the berth for him to get comfortable. If Law was going to be so decent as to let him have a few hours to himself in here, he was going to make the most of it.

Law was busy about a number of matters around the ship for a while, up until trouble was spotted and they had to dive for a while to sneak past a small flotilla of Beast Pirates ships plying their way toward the same destination. When they had clearly escaped notice safe and sound, Law gave the order to stay submerged until nightfall and then went down to his cabin, intending to while away the hours reading up on some of his medical journals. He hadn’t forgotten that he had let Zoro in some time earlier, but wasn’t quite expecting to find him still there after all that low-level excitement. He slid the hatch open to find the swordsman sprawled on his bed with his legs dangling over the side, snoring loudly. Taken aback, Law nearly let out a yell to wake him up and give him an earful about rudely taking over someone else’s bed, but then realized that his private space had not really been all that disturbed by the slumbering man. He wasn’t even touching the pillow, he had simply fallen asleep sitting up with his back resting against the wall and his boots still on the floor. Nothing had been dirtied, and in fact, only a few books had been moved to the floor in order to make a small space for his seat. It was only then that Law stopped to take a look at how messy his room was, and guessed that someone like Zoro wouldn’t find anything of interest in the medical texts and charts. What else could he do with his time? Sighing, he closed the door and silently prowled to his desk, sliding into the chair and slumping back to rest as well. The noise didn’t disturb his guest at all, giving Law a reason to look his way and silently study him. When nothing changed at all after a few minutes, he gave up and pulled in closer to his desk, taking a journal off the top of a stack and laying it open before him to get in some good reading.

At least half an hour later, the soft snores faded away and, with a small grunt, Zoro came awake. Whether he sensed the presence of another even through his sleep or he simply spotted the lanky, dark shape immediately across from him the instant he cracked his eye open, he came alert and lifted his head. “Oh. Torao.”

Law gave him a quick sidelong glance out of the corner of his eye, frowning slightly. How had that stupid nickname from Straw Hat spread to the rest of the crew so quickly? “Don’t get up on my account,” he murmured, seemingly more interested in his reading. “Didn’t get enough sleep last night?”

Seeing that nothing was wrong and he wasn’t in any trouble for making himself comfortable, Zoro sat up enough to stretch and yawn. “I don’t sleep much at night anyway,” he admitted. “Even if I’m not on watch on your ship, it’s habit. Not that you can really tell when it’s night down here in this metal tomb.” He settled back down and scratched idly at his neck. “Anything happen while I was out?”

“We drifted a little too close to some Beast Pirates,” Law said casually. “We’re submerged right now, I expect to stay under until after nightfall.”

“Oh? No trouble, though,” Zoro noted from his bland explanation. “Eh. Thanks for not waking me up, then. That would’ve been annoying.”

Law breathed a soft sniff under his breath, barely a laugh. “Believe me, when it eventually does come to fighting, there’ll be plenty to go around. You won’t miss out.”

“How long till dinner?”

“A couple of hours.”

Zoro nodded slowly to himself. “Don’t mind if I stay in here till then, do you?”

The swish of a page turning was the only sound in the cabin for a moment. “Is my crew that annoying?” 

“No more or less than Usopp and Franky are,” Zoro replied lazily, knowing full well what he meant. “I just really like the quiet sometimes.” He looked around the room, though nothing had really changed; Law’s choice of decoration suited him, but it was still weird and a little creepy in places. Kind of like the captain himself, now that he was sitting there. “This is probably the quietest place on your ship.”

“It better be.” Law brushed another page out of his way and rested his cheek on a fist, keeping his eyes on the book the whole time. “I like it quiet, too. It helps me think.”

Zoro had figured on such a thing, but it was interesting that he should come out and say so. For a big, scary ex-warlord, he really was more of a shy loner than anyone would have guessed. “How much longer till we get to Wano?” he wondered, mostly just to keep conversation going in spite of Law’s apparent insistence on reading.

“I have no idea.” Law raised his head and sat back, effectively deciding to push himself away from the book. “I don’t know how far in what direction Zou moved while we were there, it could have cut the distance between us and Wano or widened it. On top of that, our presence there needs to remain a secret, so we have to sneak in, and take extra steps to avoid being seen like today.” He shrugged and finally looked toward Zoro where he sat on the bed in his tiny clear spot. “It could be a week or more.”

Zoro gave him a frustrated sort of pout. “And it’s already been a few days since we left…”

“What’s the matter,” Law dryly asked, “worried about them?”

Zoro bit back an instantaneous reaction, tossing his head. “Luffy can handle anything that comes his way,” he said with his usual confidence in his captain. “Why should I be worried?”

Law gazed at him for a long moment as if studying him again, wondering if he was being genuinely sarcastic. “Maybe the fact that they’re going deep into Big Mom’s territory alone, and this is Straw Hat-ya we’re talking about?”

Zoro snorted and then chuckled. Ah, Torao had already learned that much, being around Luffy. “Yeah, I’m aware of that. It doesn’t matter that he’s supposed to only be going in there to find the cook and talk to him about all this shit, I know he’s going to end up in a big fight with Big Mom against everybody’s better judgment. That’s the way it goes.” He sobered, then, and allowed himself to finally agree with Law’s assessment that he had plenty to worry about. “He’ll come out of it alive, he always does,” he said more quietly, “but I wonder just how much damage will be done in the process. And a couple of those who went along with him aren’t as strong.”

Law swiveled his desk chair slightly, enough to pull one leg out from under the desk and cross it over the other knee. “What about Black Leg-ya? Unless there is a possibility he won’t return, after all…”

To his surprise, a considerable amount of emotion flashed across Zoro’s face before he could clamp down on it and steel his expression back to mere annoyance – anger, worry, hurt. All expressions Law would never have expected to see from the stoic swordsman. He said nothing in reaction, resolving to allow him his pride just as Zoro would allow him the same respect in a similar situation. “I don’t really know what’s going on there,” Zoro admitted, pouting a bit in frustration. “I can’t even say one way or the other. If he doesn’t protect the rest of the crew when things go down, well…then it’s over.”

Law’s gray eyes darkened with a shadow. He was all too aware of what that meant to a pirate crew, and thought he understood that tangled flash of emotion. “I don’t know him well,” he murmured, “but he never struck me as the kind of man who would turn his back on his crew.”

Zoro’s good eye lowered, and that complex mix of feelings crept its way back into his demeanor, slumping his shoulders a bit. “Yeah, well,” he sighed, “if there’s anything this situation is telling us, it’s that there’s things we don’t know about him at all.”

To be fair, Law had only been given a quick version of the story, but he had gleaned enough information by listening carefully and asking Robin a few key questions. For the Straw Hat cook to be a Vinsmoke, that was pretty big news and apparently something he’d been hiding from them. Yet, why this level of discontent from the swordsman? Was it as the newspaper speculated, he really was the vice-captain and such secrets were not welcome from a subordinate? No, it couldn’t have been so crude. Law wanted to think he understood their situation better than that, but Zoro’s reaction had him curious. “He’s a powerful fighter,” he said to bait Zoro into responding. “It would be a tremendous loss to your crew if he left.”

Zoro glanced up sharply, his face heating a bit, but he bit back the urge to tell Law to shut up and not talk about it. He didn’t want to talk, really, but sitting before him was perhaps the sole person in the world with whom it would be safe to do so. There was a lot Zoro wanted to work out on his own, but it was hard. Maybe another ear, one that wouldn’t judge him for his lack of experience, could give him some perspective. He scowled to himself and then sat back firmly, his back thunking against the wall as he stubbornly folded his arms. “Stupid idiot falling into a trap like that,” he groused. “He’s supposed to be smart, but no.”

“It bothers you,” Law said astutely.

Zoro rolled his eye, trying to pretend that it didn’t. “I expected better of him,” he said sullenly. “He knows full well this is fucking up our plans for Kaidou, and that a note wasn’t gonna stop Luffy from going after him. Knowing what I know of him, he was reacting on emotion and not thinking things through fully.”

The captain lounged in his chair, setting an elbow on his desk and leaning his cheek against it again, this time so he could observe Zoro fully and verify whether he was speaking true or hiding anything. If the stoic swordsman was in fact like himself, he wouldn’t be surprised if there were secrets hidden beneath those words. “You don’t believe he’s actually going to go through with the marriage?”

Zoro’s eye flicked his way, his expression sour, but then lowered in a manner that suggested that he was guilty as charged of being worried. “They’re offering him his fairy tale prince-and-princess ending,” he muttered, “I can believe that he’d find it hard to turn down. But, it’s more than that.” He thought back to what Pekoms had said, which he had overheard – that Big Mom was going to kill someone important to him if he said no, possibly even someone from the restaurant. Even if somewhere deep down he believed the cook wanted a wedding someday, he would still reject the offer if not for such a threat. He _had_ to…because if he went so far as to put fairy tales ahead of his crew and his dreams, then Zoro really had no choice but to think less of him. He breathed a hard sigh. “The others are right,” he said, even though Law had not been privy to that particular discussion, “he’s gone to sacrifice himself to save the rest of us.”

Law’s gray eyes darkened. Every time he thought he understood something about one of the Straw Hats, they said or did something to show just how far he still had to go. He hadn’t considered that Black Leg would be capable of such a thing, and couldn’t dismiss the sentiment because he would do the same thing – had almost done the same thing, atop the palace in Dressrosa. “It seems to me, that’s his choice to make,” he murmured gently. “You don’t agree?”

“Of course it’s his choice, if he was laying his life on the line,” Zoro countered, still sulking. “But he abandoned us with just a note, no ‘thank you’ and no ‘sorry for making trouble.’ He didn’t ask Luffy’s permission to leave. It’s not right.”

“Ah…” Law understood that unspoken rule of pirate life, given his slow nod. “So. When Straw Hat meets up with him, there’s still a chance to rectify that oversight. He might still leave.”

He watched Zoro’s expression carefully this time, and was certain he saw a flash of pain there, coupled with the swordsman refusing to meet his eyes again. “He might. Like you say…his choice.”

Law gave him a moment’s pause and then politely glanced away. “I didn’t think you two were such close friends, after the way I watched you treat each other onboard your ship.”

Zoro’s eye zeroed right in on him at that, his posture stiffening slightly as if he had just realized he’d been caught in a trap. He stared at the captain for a long moment, gauging his casual stance, feeling like he could no longer tactfully back out of this chat by denying everything. “What makes you think that?” he said instead, challenging Law to take the lead.

There was a small huff, barely a laugh. “Even the softest vice-captain wouldn’t care so much if someone decided to leave the crew.”

“I’m not the vice-captain,” Zoro snapped quickly, having had enough of that word flying around Dressrosa. “I don’t have any say in what anyone in the crew does. Not even Luffy, most of the time.”

“You’re only proving my point,” Law smirked.

“We’re not…!” Zoro huffed and did his best to shut his mouth and keep it shut, but the cool smile Law wore made him want to defend himself all the more. “It’s not something I talk about,” he said grouchily. “It’s really none of your business, so lay off.”

The smirk faded slowly. “I don’t mean to piss you off, Zoro-ya,” Law said calmly. “You’re free to leave anytime, if my curiosity is too much for you. I simply saw a mystery I wanted to solve.” He studied him a bit more, correctly reading his closed-off body language and put-upon scowl and choosing his words skillfully. “Maybe it’s not my business, but I can appreciate the difficulty of holding something back from the rest of my crew. When the lot of them tend to react emotionally rather than taking a second to think, sometimes it gets easier to just not let them in on it.”

Hearing his own words mirrored back at him, Zoro softened a bit and looked more closely at his host. It seemed like he did understand. “You didn’t even tell them what you were doing on Punk Hazard,” he remembered.

“They didn’t need to know,” Law murmured. “Though, there is more to it than that.”

“Were you protecting them?” Zoro pressed, eager to turn this personal questioning thing back around on the questioner. “Or was it all part of the plan?”

Law knew that if he was going to get any further answers out of his guest, he’d have to give up a few in turn. “Plan, yes. Protecting…I don’t know. Maybe I just didn’t want to worry them. Then again, had things gone the other way, they would have been hurt anyway, so it wasn’t so much a solution as it was me convincing myself it was for the best.”

Zoro stared at him, tempted to ask, but then it hit him. Others had figured it out but he hadn’t considered it before now: Law had not expected to leave Dressrosa alive. He would have left his crew bereft of a captain with no way to tell them why. He wasn’t sure what to think about that, particularly since it touched so intimately upon his outstanding issue with the cook. He was quiet for a bit, arms relaxing and hands slumping into his lap. “The more you try to stop them from getting hurt,” he said at last, low and heavy, “the more you end up hurting them anyway.”

“That seems to be the way of it.” Law dropped his gaze to the book on his desk, which he reached to mark with a turned-down page corner and then closed. “The only way to be completely safe from it is to not care. But, idiots sometimes just work their way in there without you noticing until it’s too late and you’re attached.”

“Boy, ain’t that the truth,” Zoro said dryly, shaking his head. “Your guys too, huh?”

Law heaved a soft sigh. “Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin have been in my company for thirteen years. It’s extremely difficult to even consider being without them.”

“That long? Damn…” Genuinely surprised that the surly captain had what could be considered life-long friends, Zoro blinked and then rubbed his neck. “You can’t throw that away, man. I don’t know why you’d want to, even if they are annoying shits sometimes.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to.” Law shook his head, fingers curling into a fist on the cluttered surface of his desk. “At least, now, we’re all going into our next fight together. I’ll have them at my back, as it should be.” A slight frown touched his lips, and then he added, “I don’t know Black Leg-ya well enough to offer any empty platitudes, and you wouldn’t want them anyway, would you?”

“That’s right.” Zoro met his gaze again, this time thoughtful and quiet. “It’s fine. It is what it is. I wanted to let him handle it his way, if he can, but the more I think about it, the more it sounds like Luffy’s right and they have to go get him before he’s in too deep and makes a stupid mistake.”

“If he doesn’t return…?”

“I’ll deal with it.” Zoro shrugged and sat back again, trying to make himself relax. “Okay, yeah, I’ll probably be pissed, but we have to keep moving forward no matter what.”

Law breathed a small chuckle to himself. “You care an awful lot, for not being friends.”

Seeing that he wasn’t going to let it drop, Zoro grumbled under his breath and gave himself one last pause to decide whether or not he wanted to own up to it. His hands in his lap knotted together, callused fingers overlapping. “Like I said, it’s not what you think. The cook and I…” He looked away, feigning indifference. “We have an arrangement.”

“An arrangement.” Law peered at him.

“We…” Zoro took a deep breath and let it out slowly, his good eye drifting upward to stare at the ceiling instead of at Law lest he be caught blushing. “Get together. Physically. Once in a while, just to scratch the itch.”

The captain snorted at his hedging. “So you have a sexual relationship,” he clarified.

“It’s not a relationship!” Zoro shot back with such speed that it was almost too obvious he was trying to deny a deeper truth. “It’s just. Casual, you know? No strings attached.”

“You don’t have to explain, I get the point.” Law gave him a wry look. “Let me guess, also a secret from the rest of your crew.”

The swordsman grumbled under his breath, averting his gaze. “I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself, yeah.”

“I have no need to go gossiping about anyone’s sex life. I won’t mention it to anyone.” Law swiveled his chair fully away from the desk, keeping one leg crossed over the other knee. “Surprising, though.”

“Why?”

“Well.” For a moment Law looked like he was second-guessing himself, brow furrowed. “You don’t strike me as the kind of man who’s interested in such things. No offense,” he quickly added.

“None taken.”

“If I’m wrong…”

“You’re not.” Zoro lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug, emboldened by the reaction – or lack thereof. He could be candid with Trafalgar Law and not suffer for it, apparently. “It’s not like I went looking for it. It just kinda happened one day, and we went with it. I’m not into all the romance shit like he is, I don’t care.”

Law privately thought to himself that the swordsman clearly cared a lot, but didn’t call him on that. “And now it’s an ongoing arrangement between the two of you. Must be worth the trouble, at least.”

Zoro’s scarred brow twitched as he tried to fight back a smirk. “It’s pretty good, yeah. I can’t say I don’t get urges at all because I do. It’s just…before him, I’d ignore it. He gives me an outlet. I can indulge once in a while, and it’s not a problem.”

As he listened, Law’s expression took on a hint of longing. Something about the explanation made him a bit envious of the two Straw Hats in question. “Lucky,” he muttered. “I suppose I don’t have that luxury.”

“You don’t? C’mon,” Zoro prodded, “captain, and a warlord? I would’ve thought with that kind of status you could have anything you wanted, anytime.”

“It’s the opposite.” Law sat forward a bit, tattooed fingers tapping against one another as they rested on his folded leg. “Like you, it’s not something I’m generally interested in, even if I do get the same urges. As captain, I don’t feel it right to sow my wild oats within my own crew. Besides, none of them interest me in the slightest.” He rolled his head toward the door and a suggestion of said crew out beyond it everywhere across the ship. “They’re good crewmates, but I’ve never found any of them compatible mates. As to the warlord thing, well, that doesn’t matter at all anymore. But even when I was, I had more important things to do than troll the taverns at every port looking for a good time.”

The mental image of such a thing was enough to get Zoro to laugh under his breath. “Nah, I get you. I couldn’t do that either, it’s a waste of time.”

“Exactly. I don’t know why so many are obsessed with it.”

“I know, right? It’s not important, but they spend so much time and energy on it.”

“Like Black Leg-ya, you mean?” Law had not missed his reaction to landing on Dressrosa.

“Yeah, don’t get me started on that idiot.” Zoro really didn’t want to, so he focused on trying to learn more about the quiet Heart Pirates captain in light of this new twist. “So if you’re not picking up girls in bars, then what? Ignoring it, like I used to?”

“For the most part.” Law’s gray eyes found Zoro’s good one again. “Your arrangement…is it exclusive?”

Zoro peered back at him, eyebrow arching in curiosity that he should ask. “Dunno, we’ve never really talked about it. But…” His expression faltered briefly, as the thought of the cook going off to get his stupid ass married arose unbidden in his mind yet again. That would probably put an end to the arrangement, if he went through with it and came back with a wife, wouldn’t it? He decided not to pursue that logic. “…he still throws himself at every woman he sees, and that hasn’t affected it, so I guess if I were to start looking elsewhere for that stuff, he’d have no right to complain.” His eye shot straight back to Law, who was sitting there quietly watching him. “Why?”

Embarrassed, Law shifted back around to his desk, though he only rested his elbows on the surface and stared down at the scattered books and papers absently. “Never mind. It isn’t important.”

There was no letting this one go. “You’re looking for an outlet. Is that what you’re saying?”

Law studiously kept his eyes on his desk, though a bit of a flush rose up his neck and into his earlobes. “I hadn’t really thought about it, but after what you said… it might be nice to have one.”

Intrigued, Zoro looked away as if he could likewise see the rest of the ship’s complement through the bulkhead. He could sense them, haki was turning out to be pretty great for knowing exactly who was nearby – and when no one was. “Except that you already said you didn’t wanna get into it with anyone in your crew. You’ve only got one woman around anyway, she seemed…interesting, I guess.”

“Ikkaku isn’t my type,” Law countered gruffly.

“What _is_ your type?” Zoro wondered if the similarities between them would keep mounting if he dared to ask. “Wouldn’t have figured you for being into guys.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” Law muttered it quietly and then lifted his head, turning his eyes back toward his visitor. “I don’t have a preference. I just don’t like people who annoy me.” _Like most of the idiots in my crew_ , he wanted to add, but given how they got to be here alone in his quarters in the first place, he felt he didn’t need to.

Zoro tipped his head back to rest against the wall, resisting the urge to smirk. He got it, all right. “So you asked if my thing with the cook was exclusive because…you’d consider me as an option.”

The captain deliberately glanced his way. “You are one of few people who doesn’t annoy me.”

Zoro held his gaze, sincerely thinking it over. His feelings regarding the cook were complicated, and while he felt like it might be playing with fire, he also knew he was right that Sanji had never laid an exclusive claim on him and running off to a wedding muddied the waters even further. Only a small part of him actually wanted to get revenge for making him feel used and thrown away, mostly he simply found himself intrigued by the suggestion and tempted to fool around. After all, he’d never been with anyone else besides the cook… “It ain’t romance, right?” he asked to be sure. “Just fucking around.”

“Right. I’m not interested in a relationship or anything. Just release.” Now that he had said so, Law felt his face heating with a blush. He was no virgin but it had been some time since he last got the opportunity for said release. He turned back around in his chair, draping one arm on the desk as casually as he could to hide any awkward eagerness. “You caught my interest,” he admitted softly. “We seem a lot alike in some regards. I’ve spoken more with you, here, tonight, than I have with any other person for a long time.”

“Really? Huh.” Far from pathetic and lonely, Zoro thought that sounded just fine. He didn’t usually get into lengthy conversations with his crewmates either, aside from a few unexpected sessions with the cook either before or after they went after each other’s bodies. There wasn’t anything about Law he didn’t like, and he was sure that if he said no, there would be no repercussions. They would both go on with their lives and that would be that: the very definition of no strings attached. He rolled one shoulder yet again. “I guess that wouldn’t be so bad.”

Law sat up sharply, apparently not expecting that answer. “You’re sure?” he breathed.

“Yeah, why not? There’s not a lot else to do around here to pass the time.” This time Zoro allowed himself the smirk, full and sly. “You’re pretty damn strong. And a good swordsman, that always catches my eye.”

“Figures that would be one of your criteria,” the captain snorted, his gaze wandering to the three swords resting next to Kikoku between the desk and the wall. Now that the idea had been proposed and agreed upon, it was something of a relief not to have to flirt or make suggestive comments in an unskilled attempt at seduction. He had been right about most of his assumptions, to their mutual benefit, and there was nothing inappropriate about hooking up with someone from his ally’s crew. Particularly not Straw Hat-ya’s powerful second. He eased back into his chair, settling himself rather like a king in his throne, and took a moment to eye the man up and down. Between the muscular build and the inhuman stamina, he had no doubt that it would be rather enjoyable. “Well,” he murmured, “we still have a lot of time to kill before dinner.”

“Yeah, I guess we do.” Zoro remained where he was for a moment, indulging Law for as long as he wanted to look and giving him a subtle once-over in turn. He was a lot like the cook in build, thin but powerfully muscled, and for not the first time the swordsman wondered just how much of him was covered in tattoos. He wouldn’t be satisfied with just looking, and the way Law stared at him was a challenge in itself. He decided to make the first move, pushing himself away from the wall and sliding off the bunk to gain his feet and stand up at full height. From there it was only a couple of steps to the desk, and as he moved, Law swiveled his chair to meet him, remaining seated but with his feet spread, wordlessly inviting him closer. There really was only one way to get started; Zoro stepped right up between those long legs and dropped down, reaching to unbutton the fly of Law’s jeans. An intrigued purr from above him was all the encouragement he needed to boldly slide his hand down in and grasp him in callused fingers. “Any boundaries you don’t want me to cross?” he asked idly.

“Not really,” Law breathed in reply, inching his hips forward to make it a little easier to get into his tight jeans. “Just. I don’t like to kiss…”

“Fine by me.” Zoro had no intention of doing so, anyway, he was on the opposite end from Law’s mouth as it was and didn’t much care one way or the other. With the freedom to do whatever he liked, he began by working those jeans open and tugging out Law’s cock, already eager to see if it was as long and lean as he was. He was not disappointed. Though still soft, he was impressive, Zoro gave him a few languid strokes as he admired his prize and only shifted his gaze upward a second before leaning in and licking up the length of it. Law’s reactions were subtle but unmistakable, if he looked at just the right moment – lips parted to suck in a breath, gray eyes gleaming with interest, mouth beginning to curve in a matching smirk. The visor of his cap still shadowed his eyes, but from Zoro’s perspective it only served to make it easier to see his expression, every little flicker of an eyelash or twitch of his brow. He held that gaze as he ran lips and tongue along the length of his cock and finally closed over the head, sinking down only a short way and sucking back up, pleased with himself for getting a real groan out of Law in response. He did know his way around a cock, after all, and his thing with the cook gave him plenty of practice. The scent and taste, strong and masculine, made him want nothing but to show Law what he could do and see if he could unravel all of that stern, guarded demeanor and self-control. His good eye drifted closed as he focused on the motion for a bit, down and up again, fingers still loosely curled around the base and pulling gently until he could feel Law grow hard right in his mouth. It happened so quickly he couldn’t help but chuckle even with his lips still around the head. “Been a while?” he teased as soon as he had a moment to draw back and speak.

Law had no interest in sharing his experience or how often he took care of himself, but let a low growl serve as his answer. “You’re just getting started,” he said dryly, “don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Zoro laughed again before going back down on him, taking even more into his mouth and stroking with his tongue, indulging fully in the taste. He felt a brush of a touch near his cheek and squinted up to find Law idly flicking his fingers through the three earrings dangling from his left earlobe. The sensation of the three heavy gold pendants swaying back and forth, occasionally tapping his neck, was only mildly distracting – Sanji liked to play with them, too, but he was much less cautious about it. Zoro smirked to himself as he drew his lips back and then ran them down and around, exploring more than working the shaft, though his grip tightened and he began to stroke at a regular pace. When he dared to look up again, he found Law with his head tipped back against the back of his desk chair, eyes closed and a look of pure contentment on his face as he sat back, enjoyed, and half-heartedly toyed with one of the earrings, rolling it between his fingers. His knuckles rested against Zoro’s neck as he did, not out of any wish to caress but simply because that was where they happened to be. Maybe he felt the gaze on him or maybe it was simply coincidence, but he cracked one eye and looked down, and then allowed himself a lazy smirk in response to the view in his lap. Zoro rewarded him with a deeper plunge, leaning in closer and really savoring the velvet heat filling his mouth. The fingers threaded between his earrings withdrew as Law reached to try to tug his pants open fully, though they were already as far down as they could be in that position, the tightness working against him. He didn’t want to wriggle around too much lest he make it difficult for Zoro to keep going, but he was fully hard now and the pressure at the base of his erection was almost too much. His hips shifted in time with Zoro’s movements, following his strokes and his mouth, and a few moments later he reached to press the heel of his hand to his own forehead, accidentally knocking the round hat off his head. It fell behind him on the floor with a soft thump, and he ignored it. He was starting to breathe heavier, which Zoro noticed and approved of. He kept going for a bit longer before pulling back and running his tongue between his lips. “Your tattoos,” he murmured, fingers taking over fully for now. “I was curious how far down they went.”

Law breathed a huff of a laugh, clawing his hand backward through his unruly hair. “They’re waist-up, only,” he admitted.

“I wanna see ‘em.” Zoro grinned savagely, loosening his grip so he could speed up the pace encouragingly. “All of ‘em.”

“…if you say so.” Law dropped that hand to the front of his black shirt and began undoing the buttons, though he was sure the swordsman had seen his large chest tattoo while on Dressrosa. No one could have missed it. Once open, he slid his hand into the shirt over his abs and then peeled it back, sitting up just enough to shrug it off one shoulder. “There’s one on my back, too,” he said slyly, “but you’re going to have to work to see that one.”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll get there,” Zoro assured, never slacking his pace for a second even though his eye roamed over the curls of flames and leaves decorating the giant heart tattoo. The double-hearts on Law’s exposed shoulder were new, he hadn’t seen those before. The man really was covered front to back in ink, it seemed. He relented only long enough to allow Law to sit up and completely remove his shirt, and make himself generally more comfortable, before resuming at an almost worshipful pace. “I like it,” he purred.

Draped in his desk chair as he was, Law took a moment to rest his chin on a fist and admire the man between his legs in turn. “Do you have any?”

“Tattoos? No. Just scars,” Zoro smirked.

“Let me see,” Law murmured.

Something about the sensual undertone of his soft voice as he made that demand sent a rush of heat through Zoro from head to foot. He really _was_ playing with fire, here, if he wasn’t careful he was sure the captain could scorch him and leave him begging for more. His eye strayed for a moment to that amazing erection standing straight up in front of him before he forced himself to let go. Grabbing fistfuls of his t-shirt and haramaki together, he yanked them both up and off, tossing them aside on the floor and presenting himself bare-chested with a daring sneer on his lips. Law sat fully up again almost immediately, fascinated. He’d seen the enormous scar, of course, on Punk Hazard, but he hadn’t been as close to the Straw Hats then. Now, he got to be up close and personal with it, stretching out a hand to drag his palm and fingertips down the length of it as far as he could reach. It didn’t take using his ability to feel just how deep and old that scar tissue was, and discern how severe the wound that left it must have been. He didn’t know anything of this feature of the Pirate Hunter, only that he was known to have it. There was power in the chest beneath his hand, he could almost feel it radiating off him. No wonder his haki resonated so strongly. “Where’d you get this?” he idly wondered, tracing the stitch lines with his fingers. “Don’t tell me Tony-ya messed up this badly to leave such a scar.”

“It was before we met Chopper,” Zoro assured, not wanting to give him any reason to think poorly of their incredible doctor. His eye flicked down to watch tattooed fingers explore him and then back up to deliver the answer point-blank. “Hawk-Eyes Mihawk.”

Law’s hand stilled in place as he met that look, amazed. He hadn’t been a warlord long enough to fight alongside the famed swordsman but he knew more than enough about him. “No shit,” he said, impressed.

Zoro leaned into his touch, pressing against his hand and pushing all the way until his arms butted against the inside of Law’s thighs. “You gonna just sit there and stare all day or are we gonna keep going?” he challenged.

Law withdrew only to place one stern fingertip against Zoro’s brow and hold him off from going down on him again, even if he was in range. “I think I’d rather fuck you,” he dared right back, beginning to smirk. “You have an amazing body, I want to know what it feels like.”

Fiercely aroused, Zoro growled his approval and leaned back in order to slap a hand to his knee and push himself up to his feet. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

Law was in no hurry, he sat back a bit and watched hungrily as the swordsman stood before him, undid his fly, and dropped his pants without fanfare. It was a fine show, culminating in a view of his own thick, hard cock suggesting just how ready he already was. Not to be outdone, Law finally peeled himself out of his desk chair, rose slowly to stand immediately before him, and then snagged the waistband of his jeans and briefs together to slide them more fully down off his hips. He was close enough that Zoro could grasp both erections in one hand and squeeze them together, but it was a mere tease compared to what they both wanted. This was the closest they had ever been to one another, standing nearly chest to chest and surely within range of each other’s lips, but Law was true to himself and did not close the gap. He stood with arms hanging at his sides, hips edged forward just enough to encourage the double-stroke, but the instant his comrade even seemed like he was going to lean in, Law turned his head to the side, eyes slightly lowered in an aloof but still sly smirk. All Zoro did was chuckle throatily, though, he wasn’t going for a kiss and didn’t mind. Law’s graceful neck was so close, he couldn’t resist raking his teeth along it, feeling the heat off his skin and taking in his scent, coffee and clean soap and raw masculinity. The growl of eagerness he made gave Law reason to chuckle in turn, and at last he moved, snaking his hands around to grab a firm hold of the swordsman’s muscled ass and pinning their matched cocks between their hips. There was nothing not to like, he had to shake himself out of simply groping and admiring and make the next move himself. He tipped his head back the other way and loomed in close to the dangling earrings, his voice low and edged with a growl of his own. “Turn around,” he breathed against Zoro’s earlobe. “The desk, the floor, I don’t care. Pick your spot.”

The way he made the demand raised the flush of heat across Zoro’s neck and chest even higher. He had the feeling that it wasn’t so much an offer of getting comfortable as it was a warning to brace himself, and he liked it quite a bit. Deflecting the hands still digging into his muscles, he shot Law a flash of a smirk and then looked around, deciding that the little space he had made for himself on the bed would be just enough. He and Sanji had fucked in far less comfortable places before, it was pretty nice here by comparison. Sinking to his knees beside the bunk, he took a moment to try and kick his boots off in order to get rid of his pants, but he could only manage to get one partially off before Law was right behind him, already rubbing his fingers together with something he had taken off another shelf. Zoro glanced back at him with an arch of an eyebrow. “What are you…?”

“I’m a doctor,” Law interrupted in his smooth purr, smirking widely. “I have exactly what we need.”

The fingers sliding into the cleft of Zoro’s ass and diving straight for the entrance were warm and slick, intruding with the skill of a surgeon and stretching him with hardly any effort. Law’s other hand clenched on his hip and then drew flat circles in the small of his back, as if simply wanting something to do while the other hand was busy about far more important work. Zoro leaned forward onto the bed, folding his arms and resting his chin on them, growling happily under his breath at the expert touch stroking him from the inside. Law was quick but thorough, his long, thin fingers working far enough inside to deliberately give the man’s prostate a brief brush, nothing more than a tease for now. The little jolt arched Zoro’s back for a moment, but he forced himself not to surrender and wriggle around too much when he was supposed to be bracing for the final act. It wasn’t very long at all before Law finished and then took care of himself, slipping on a condom, grabbing a little more lube, readying, steadying, and lining up. The first push inside came with no delay and no warning, but Zoro felt himself so ready that he didn’t even gasp at the brief burn that preceded the exquisite pleasure. Law breathed a soft noise of delight at the tightness gripping him, the slight sense of resistance against his intrusion, and the sight of the swordsman’s broad, unblemished back before him. It was a smooth, pleasurable entry, clearly the man had done this before. He laid both hands on Zoro’s thighs and manhandled him into a better position for them both, pushing his knees further apart and then giving a great thrust to get himself fully seated. It knocked Zoro slightly forward against the bed and elicited a quiet moan in response. “Yeah, like that,” he murmured with an undertone of raw desire.

Law chuckled under his breath, a dark and dangerous humor. “You like it rough?”

“Don’t hold back.” Zoro’s good eye squinted over his shoulder. “I’m not delicate.”

“No, you’re certainly not.” Rolling his hips, Law pushed and then pulled back a bit, reveling in the very shape and feel of his body. “You’re a fine specimen of manhood, Zoro-ya. I could get to like fucking you like this.”

“Are you gonna do it or just talk all night?” Zoro snorted.

One powerful thrust threw him forward against the edge of the bed again. “You’d rather the no-nonsense approach,” Law teased him. “I can appreciate that.”

Zoro braced his elbows as best he could in the soft bedding and gave a jerk of his hips, up and back, demanding more. “Just fuck me,” he muttered under his breath, low and animalistic.

The way he said it stoked Law’s arousal even higher, he almost gasped at the heat of it and then grinned to himself. Without any further chatter he began for real, giving a few slower thrusts to really get situated and encourage the body beneath him to relax and open up, and then plunging in deep. Yes, there was definitely experience here, and it was exactly what they both wanted and needed, he guessed as Zoro’s back arched a bit, chest sagging lower and tipping his hips higher, a long, satisfied groan sounding in his throat. He settled his chin on his folded arms and closed his eye, looking completely content and holding still to allow Law to set the pace. Neither of them needed any sort of build-up, so Law took advantage of the control given over to him and immediately ramped things up, thrusting shallowly but at a good, steady tempo. Once in a while he varied it up by pulling back and then plunging in slowly, once, twice, before driving in deep and then resuming that pace. He knew the human body well, he knew the precise location of the prostate and how to deliberately avoid it so as to tease his partner, withholding the exquisite pleasure only to give it to him in time. His hands rested almost lazily on Zoro’s hips, barely needing to keep him in place to receive, though once in a while his graceful fingers stroked down toward his thighs, again teasing with a light touch. Zoro relaxed and enjoyed everything for a bit, but he was impatient and wanted more, faster, so his hips occasionally surged back, anticipating and chasing the thrust, trying to savor more of it for himself. Law allowed the push and pull for a while but then wrested control back from him, his hands gripping more tightly to keep him from moving and his own hips slamming forward to plunge deep and make sure to hit that internal pleasure spot. Zoro growled much more loudly at that, lifting his chin off his arms and shoulders and back flexing as he pushed himself back, further yet onto Law’s cock. For a moment both paused, simply enjoying how deep he was, and then Law renewed his attack, speeding up and pulling further out with each thrust. He had the strength and the stamina, he might as well use it. Drawing back and pounding in, using his whole body but especially hips and legs, it was exactly as rough as Zoro wanted. He, in turn, began to tense a bit, propping himself on one elbow in order to stretch an arm down and back, idly groping to find his own erection and stroke himself in time to the pounding. Law arrested him before he could get there and pulled his arm up and back, restraining him. Zoro shot him a look over his shoulder, but understood what he was getting at and let himself be held pinned like that, both of them shifting so that he could spread his legs further and Law could angle to thrust up as well as forward. At the same time, Law’s other hand dragged down over his thigh to his groin and then grasped him firmly, taking that task for himself. He had the swordsman under his control, captured and precisely positioned, and curled tattooed fingers into a loose fist to stroke him while holding his arm back, almost pulling him to meet every thrust. It was nice for a bit, but then Zoro’s restrained hand groped and took hold of Law’s arm in turn, closing firmly but not tightly over his scarred biceps. Law hissed in warning, though his injury had healed and there was no pain, only to be given a new demand: “Harder!”

Letting go of him, Law clapped both hands around his hips instead, thrust hard enough to shove him forward, and then bore down on him, using his height and strength to his advantage and pinning the swordsman to the edge of the bunk to be fucked good and hard as ordered. This new position had Zoro’s erection brushing against the softer bedding, no hands were necessary. He stretched out under the assault and grabbed fistfuls of blanket on the far edge of the bunk, most of his weight on his elbows, and pushed back to meet each thrust until their bodies practically slapped into each other. The way he moved reminded Law that this was not a man used to submitting – even as the receiver, he tried to dominate, to control. It made him grin darkly to himself before wresting control back yet again, pushing in and then bearing down on him, driving him forward until his arms gave and he flopped chest-first onto the bunk. Zoro felt the weight against his hips, and then hands dragging up his back, wrestling him down and keeping him there. The thrusting paused for a moment while Law struggled to seat himself, one hand splayed across Zoro’s back, the other clenched on his hip, and then he began again at an unmistakably punishing pace, short, deep thrusts that did not allow the swordsman any room to push back. It wasn’t just Law’s hips doing the work, but legs and back, all the way down to his toes seeking purchase on the paper-strewn floor in order to leverage his whole body forward and down, slamming into that hard, muscular ass with wild abandon. Far from disappointed, Zoro let out a low laugh that morphed into a snarl of pleasure – yes, this was exactly how he liked it, and then some. He finally surrendered, letting Law hammer into him and merely holding onto the bedding for dear life. His cock enjoyed the pressure of their combined weight pressing it into the blanket, the friction even better than either of them using a hand. At long last a hard gasp warned that Zoro was getting close, though he clenched his teeth and tried to turn it into a growl. Law stretched to keep both hands on his broad shoulders, the heels of his palms grinding into Zoro’s shoulderblades with the ferocity of his movement, panting openly and unabashedly. This was the best workout he’d gotten since leaving Zou, really, and being out of breath was practically a compliment to the man beneath him. The series of growls and grunts escalating in Zoro’s throat were a compliment in turn, he couldn’t stop himself from reacting to the way Law stretched, played, and ravaged his body, passing beyond clinical expertise into raw, bestial fucking against the side of his bunk. He, too, began to groan under his breath, biting his lip unconsciously as he watched the muscles in Zoro’s back flex and shift as he tensed, trying to brace himself for what was very rapidly about to come. “Come on,” he encouraged in his low, breathy purr, “come on. How much more can you take?”

Zoro moaned out loud at his tone, lifting his head just enough to shoot a look over his shoulder, dark eye smoldering with pleasure. “A lot more than this,” he dared. “Almost, just…ngh!”

“Fuck you and your stamina,” Law huffed with a small chuckle, never slacking pace for a second.

As much as he wanted to tease that that was exactly what was happening right there, Zoro didn’t have the time for it, or the breath, as the unrelenting punishment drove him right to the edge. Just a couple more thrusts grinding him against the bed and he choked down a yelp, not even getting out a warning before he found himself coming hard, his orgasm roiling from deep within and short-circuiting his entire body. Toes curled, back arched, hips shuddering underneath Law’s continuing thrust, Zoro dropped his head again in order to muffle his noise against the blanket because it just didn’t stop – of course not, he figured, since Law clearly hadn’t reached his own climax yet. He didn’t even so much as pause to admire or tease, just kept on going as he chased the finish for himself without a single care for just how much it tormented Zoro to have his pleasure dragged out to his furthest limits. It was an exquisite torture, though, going beyond the initial rush and leaving him gasping for breath as though he’d just run a marathon. A minute or two later and he heard Law’s soft gasp and then a strangled grunt as he finally came, hands dragging all the way down the length of Zoro’s back to clench on his hips again and hold him in place right where Law wanted him. The swordsman glanced back again to see the stoic captain with his head thrown back, hair tousled wildly and sweat beaded on his neck and tattooed chest, silently caught in the throes of orgasm and seething through bared teeth to ride it out fully. The sight of him there, all lean limbs and inked skin, practically made Zoro ache all over again for another round. He looked like he really was having fun, for once, not holding himself back in reserve. As he came down, Law tipped forward and then realized he was being watched, maybe even admired, and offered a hazy half-smirk in response. He was still breathing heavily and decided not to bother with words, snarky or otherwise, until he had extracted himself and cleaned up. The condom helped considerably in that regard. He pulled out and sat back on his heels while taking care of that, allowing Zoro the room to stretch and make a valiant effort at prying himself up off the bed. His body was so thoroughly sated that all he could do was roll over and slide down to a seat on the floor, doing his best not to get tripped up in his own pant legs – one was still pooled around one ankle, after all. “Sorry,” he grunted, gesturing at the wrinkled and now wet blanket, “but you didn’t even give me chance to warn you.”

Law tossed his head in an indifferent shrug. “If I cared about you coming on my bed I wouldn’t have fucked you there.” To himself, though, he added a reminder to strip the bunk and toss everything in the laundry later.

Zoro snorted and then looked himself over, aware that a good portion of the mess had made it onto his abdomen, even if the blanket took the brunt of it. He smoothed his fingers down around his cock as if to soothe it and then grinned lazily up at Law. “That was pretty good.”

As spent as he was, Law couldn’t help but run his tongue over his lips in interest, watching his companion touch himself like that. “Good, huh?” he taunted, scuffing a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I guess.”

The understatement made Zoro chuckle a little more strongly. It was damn amazing and they both knew it. “You know, if this trip drags on too long,” he idly suggested, “I might be up for trying that again.”

“Oh?” Law did his best to play it cool, though a distinct redness in his cheekbones gave him away. “Yeah, maybe. If we have time.”

Zoro knew that game well, he and Sanji played it with each other all the time. Never let him see how much you liked it, never admit that he’s incredible. He pushed himself up from his seat and lunged forward, nearly climbing astride Law’s bare thighs and slinging a powerful arm around his neck and shoulders. Predictably, Law bristled and made to flinch away, though he wasn’t fast enough and found himself grabbed, but it wasn’t what he most feared after all. Zoro did clench one hand into his thick, black hair, but then dodged to the side and simply nipped at his neck, entirely too proud of himself for the fake-out. He made sure to press his tongue hard to the spot where Law’s neck met collarbone and deliberately taste the sweat off his skin before raising his head and giving him a cool smirk. “Next time I’ll show you what I can do,” he vowed, and then slid back to figure out how to get back into his pants.

Still breathing fast from the momentary attack, Law pressed his lips tightly together and looked away sharply, not wanting to show how flustered he was nor even address that offer. He was fairly certain he wanted to accept it, even if he said nothing to the effect at the moment. He got up from where he was and tugged his briefs and jeans back up, swiftly tucking himself away and brushing himself off, regaining composure bit by bit. Without any further banter both of them moved to find each other’s shirts, got dressed, and at long last stood gazing at each other, inspecting one another to be sure that no one would take one look at them and guess what they had been up to. Patting the dust off his hat, Law used a tip of his head to vaguely gesture toward the hallway beyond his cabin and the rest of the ship beyond that. “Bathroom is just up the hall, if you want to clean up…”

“Probably should, yeah.” Zoro made sure his haramaki was properly situated and then reached to give the captain a good, hearty slap on the arm as he brushed past. His final comment was only a quiet murmur, as if embarrassed to actually say it. “…thanks.”

“Mm.” Law pretended to be more interested in his hat than in any words of gratitude, waiting until after the swordsman had taken his swords and ducked out of the cabin before looking up again, gray eyes hungrily following him. What an unexpected treat he just discovered, and despite his noncommittal attitude, he knew himself well enough to know he would absolutely enjoy it again. The journey to Wano was long and promised little else in the way of eventful experiences. He had become inextricably intertwined with the Straw Hats despite all his best efforts to keep them at arm’s length, treat them merely as allies and not friends, and some part of him decided that maybe he should just go with it after all. There did seem to be _some_ benefits to forming a connection. Shaking himself out of his reverie, he settled his hat firmly back in place, glanced at the small mirror on the bookshelf to make sure no lingering signs of passion could be seen on his face, scuffed a hand over his goatee, and then drifted out to go and see whether his crew had gotten dinner ready. A fun activity like that left him rather hungry.


End file.
